23 Top Heart Rate Monitors for iPhone

iPhone is unlike any other smart phone. Not only it lets you make phone calls and have a lot of fun with the apps available on iTunes, you can also use it to become more healthy and even lose weight. There are lots of cool applications to choose from in the health and fitness categories. Take heart rate monitors. You can not only track/monitor your heart rate with these apps but also how much you are burning on an everyday basis. A great way to get on the right track and stay on it.

Here are the 23 best heart rate monitor apps for iPhone:

iRunXtreme: iRunXtreme is a highly sophisticated application that lets you monitor your heart rate using your iPhone microphone. As easy as that!

Fitview: Fitview is a complete tracking application for every aspect of your health. You can track your body sugar, heart rate, and … Very useful for the methodical types among us.

FitnessBuilder: FitnessBuilder is perhaps the only application you need to get yourself in shape. It’s a complete guide (w/ videos) to take your workout to the next level. Allows you to track your HR and calories burned as well.

12 Fitness Calculators: 12 Fitness Calculators provides you with everything you need to keep track of your progress when it comes to fitness and weight loss.

iHeart: iHeart is a pulse reader that lets you figure out your pulse rate by holding your iPhone in your hands. Can’t get any easier than this. Not too shabby.

iPulse: iPulse is a decent heart rate monitor that not only counts your heart rate but also comes with a log system to help you keep track of your activities.

iNewLeaf: a sophisticated app that helps you keep track of your workout and track your progress easily. You can also keep track of how many calories you are burning and how much fat you are carrying. Good choice for those who live an active lifestyle.

Vitalsview: whether you want to track your body fat, your heart rate or blood pressure, you can do it all with Vitalsview.

Gym Tracker: a wonderful utility application for every gym addict. It lets you keep track of your heart rate, exercises, and all other relevant information. It can also help you take your workout to the next level.

iHeartRate Monitor: iHeartRate makes it easy to track your heart rate. All you have to do is tap on your iPhone.

Hrate: Hrate is a simple ap that uses your heart rate information to come up with your zones.

Aerobic View: Aerobic View is a cool little app that lets you get more out of your aerobic workouts.

myCheckUp: myCheckUp is a cool health application for iPhone that lets you prepare and track your checkup data for the next time you are going to visit a doctor. Track your heart rate, your weight, and more with myCheckUp.

iBPM+ – Heart Rate Monitor: a complete dashboard for all your fitness stats. Your heart rate, calories burned, heart rate zones, and …. are all provided to you in iBPM+.

Heart Log: Heart Log is a simple logging application designed for anyone who has heart issues or wants to keep track of her heart rate on an everyday basis. Simple but gets the job done.

Absolute Fitness: if you are planning to take better care of your heart and what you take in, you should use Absolute Fitness to track your heart rate, calorie in-take, and your overall progress towards a more healthy life.

There you have it. If you are looking to track your heart rate on your iPhone, you won’t go wrong with the above apps. Best of all, most of these apps are cheap too! Don’t forget to suggest your favorite apps.

I already have a chest transmitter but a rubbish watch so was hoping this would do what the £200+ watch kits do.

Cheers

Alistair

Ernst

Anyone application which can work with usual bluetooth HR transmitter like Zephyr HxM or similar? instead of ugly way – measure HR via microphone

Sdfg

I agree with Ernst. These applications are not interesting as long as they do not support bluetooth HR transmitters. I also like to have GPS-tracking functionality (e.g. like the Nokia Sportstracker application).

Lois

How can this give you an EKG heart rate like a heart rate monitor does with a transmitter? They are all talking about pulse not hear rate. there is a difference, Can the Transmitter made by Polar be used with these applications?

http://www.iphoneness.com Ci

Hi Lois. Not with all these applications. We are in the process of updating this list to address the issues you and many others have brought up.

Ernst

Hello, guys

My question was rhetorical.
Actually, Apple doesn’t include full featured bluetooth stack into iPhone firmware, for bluetooth heartrate monitors RFCOMM/SPP (Serial Port) is required. As far as I understand this is a reason of many “toy” apps for heart, instead of real fitness and medical ones.

Ci, we have to admit, iphone is bad choice for cadrio workouts or medical telemetry. All reviewed apps are for “wow” effect only.

As trail runner I prefer Windows Mobile applications, becauses there are not a problem with any BT hardware devices. For example: RunGPS.NET

This is a typical situation for iPhone, if you are looking at similar market (one of my interests) – devices for the cars: OBDII dongles, iPhone “can” work with WiFi devices only, this is unreasonable – they are more expensive than bluetooth ones, drain the battery quickly.

As summary: this is not holy war , I like my iphone, but apple developers are not good, too many semifinished features in iphone were completed yet by enthusiasts.

George

I have been using RunTracker to track my workouts without heartrate info but they just upgraded and now support several bluetooth monitors. the info for each workout is automatically uploaded to their website where you can track it over time. I haven't tried it with the monitor yet but will do so soon.

john

OKLAHOMA CITY — One of the latest apps for the iPhone was created in Oklahoma and allows you to monitor your heart rate anywhere you go.

Dr. David Albert of Oklahoma City has patented a device and app that can fit on your iPhone and be used to monitor and send ECG signals to a health care provider, and it is all for under $100.

"This is the same accuracy, meets the same specifications as the EKG device that they would use on you in Integris Medical Center," Albert said.

The device not only monitors your heart beats but can be switched over to be used as a biofeedback device to help your stress levels.

Albert said the device will be available as soon as it receives FDA approval.

Ernst

P.S.
Actually, I use GymNow app on iPhone,
this is my favorit app for fitness.

Ci, sorry, when I said about “toy” apps, I mean heart measuring feature. Of course, in your review there are excellent apps as training log and diary.

Lois

By wearing a Polar transmitter it will measure the actual electrical activity of your heart in moment to moment (or beat to beat) variation. Anything that reads off your wrist is not measuring this activity—it is measuring the opening and closing of an artery at a specific point. In the case of your wrist, that artery is the radial artery. On your neck, it is the carotid artery. Either way is going to be less accurate than actual heart rate. I would love to see the tranmitter worn and the I-touch recording the EKG. Happy Holidays.

JOHN

have you found any iphone apps that record the EKG RHYTHEM not the rate
where can I buy them and their cost

Ernst

I was using polar watch with chest belt transmitter for a long time earlier.
and recommend to use Zephyr HxM chest ECG transmitter, instead of Polar, it’s better than polar one:
1. re-chargable battery with USB dock station.
2. Lighter than polar.
3. it has builtin accelerometer for measring speed/distance/cadence.

and Zephyr has open protocol for developers.
and , of course, cost – cheaper than polar.

Ernst

In addition to previous post,
I was talking about bluetooth transmitters.

http://myithlete.com Simon

I make an app, ithlete, that takes an ECG accurate signal from a Polar strap to measure heart rate variability every morning as an indicator of accumulated training fatigue. Does anyone think there would also be demand for a heart rate monitor using the same ECG receiver that could be used during workouts and which would allow mixing of iPod music?

Will

Simon, I use a Polar with a GPS sensor for running and cycling, I would love to replace the GPS sensor on my arm and the watch on my wrist with my iPhone (on my arm), and load all the info to a training diary. The largest challenge here is that I'm a marathoner, and not a very fast one, so the battery life on the iPhone is a real limitation. But please, for my sub two hour runs and rides, I'd love to see this app.

Guy Morse

YES YES YES!
I have been searching for this for ages and it has been so frustrating to not be able to directly see what is happening as i run or cycle. I would recommend taking to Adidas as their micoach app is obviously a free loss leader for the company but is a very good piece of software that only lack the abbility to collect real time heart rate data. I have just read about your product in a very favourable review in Triathlon220 magazine and i will be buying one soon, but more than happy to pay extra for all the above. Guy

Doron

Hi Simon,
There are many of us that would love nothing more than to be able to use our Polar chest straps with our iPhones to monitor and log our workouts. Your device offers a huge advantage over the Wahoo Fitness Fisica key by using the headphone jack instead of the charging dock connector. That frees up the dock connector for external batteries and charging sleds that endurance athletes can carry in a waist pack and not have to worry about the phone running out of charge. The other advantage is that your device is Polar compatible so I can wear one chest strap and see my heart rate on treadmills and on the iPhone. Gym equipment picks up the Polar signal, not Ant+.

In the gym I'd leave the iPhone on the console of the treadmill/bike and look at it. Running outside, I'd have the phone tucked away in a belt pack logging heart rate, calories, GPS position, etc. and would look at my Polar watch if I want to know why I'm feeling tired or to know how to pace myself.

I and others would want to be able to play music on Pandora or other radio apps in the background and not be limited to just the iPod for music. Unless you're going to develop interval timers and training programs, I (we) would also like to be able to use other apps at the same time like C25K with its interval voice prompts "run now", "walk now", "cool down"…

At a minimum, log/track my heart rate – instant, max and avg; calories burned; start and end times. Bonus features: allow me to log my weight daily. Polar has a nice stats feature on the watch: how many work outs this week, how much time working out this week, how many calories did I burn this week. I would love to track my progress in calories burned per hour. Categorizing workouts would be nice too (running, cycling, yoga, P90X…)

Lastly, YES, I would be willing to pay for such an app and I would pay more for an app that ties it all together – Polar heart rate, stats tracking, GPS mapping of runs/rides, spoken interval timers, GPS (and accelerometer for indoor) based intervals (e.g. every 200 steps or 200 yards voice says now walk, now run..) upload results to web sites, play Pandora in background.

I like my Polar FT7 watch and strap. I just wish my iPhone could be the one stop shop for all my stats, charts and graphs and the excise computer.
Thanks

http://ljf@btsbm.com Louis

Doron. Any luck so far in your quest. I’m in the exact same situation.

What have you found so far?

bill

THAT WILL BE GREAAAAAT!!!

(what Doron said!)

http://www.facebook.com/eric.vermeulen1972 Eric Vermeulen

Hi There, this seems to become a more and more frustrated subject. I have the polar Wearlink+ bluetooth belt, but the Iphone is locked down on the bluetooth side. Apple have chosen to only enable bluetooth profiles for Headset and carkits. I have been searching for a solution a I use Runkeeper and Sportstracker but really want to integrate the heartrate in one device that work with these apps. As Doron says, a one stop device. I am really pissed with Apple for not opening this up. This probably has to do with the Nike Plus alliance they have. Apple itself throws the argument in the ring of hacking protection and tethering protection. Again probably the alliance they have with the mobile providers. one protecting the other, aarrgggg. Again I know there are ANT+ solutions, but I am really not looking for a dongle solution and I want to be able to integrate with the Gym equipment, ANT+ doesn't do that. So if you have a solution to this, yes I am willing to pay for it and be a test user to help you develop it!!!!
thanks,
Eric

http://www.facebook.com/eric.vermeulen1972 Eric Vermeulen

Hi There, this seems to become a more and more frustrated subject. I have the polar Wearlink+ bluetooth belt, but the Iphone is locked down on the bluetooth side. Apple have chosen to only enable bluetooth profiles for Headset and carkits. I have been searching for a solution a I use Runkeeper and Sportstracker but really want to integrate the heartrate in one device that work with these apps. As Doron says, a one stop device. I am really pissed with Apple for not opening this up. This probably has to do with the Nike Plus alliance they have. Apple itself throws the argument in the ring of hacking protection and tethering protection. Again probably the alliance they have with the mobile providers. one protecting the other, aarrgggg. Again I know there are ANT+ solutions, but I am really not looking for a dongle solution and I want to be able to integrate with the Gym equipment, ANT+ doesn't do that. So if you have a solution to this, yes I am willing to pay for it and be a test user to help you develop it!!!!

Randolph Benson

Exactly!!!

daniel

any word on whether the new iphone will be able to pick up the signal from a heart strap

http://www.iphoneness.com Ci

@daniel. Not too sure about that. Will do some digging

Adrian

does iphones os4 help fix the BT issue?

iPhoneDev

Be aware of those applications where you have to put the iphone on your chest. I may void the iphone warranty as sweating may activitate the humidity sensor

http://www.didierstouten.nl Didier Stouten

You can also use most applications on your arm, so no need for sweaty stuff.

http://www.wahoofitness.com wahoo

Real HR Apps are possible now using Wahoo Fitness products for the iPhone. Over 20 Apps are compatible with the hardware with more coming all the time. Check out http://www.wahoofitness.com. Not just HRM's either, Speed/Cadence sensors for cycling. Scales, Blood Pressure monitors and more.

Disclaimer: I work Wahoo Fitness

http://www.bikeradar.com Neil Pedoe

Hi Wahoo – I'm Deputy Editor of the UK's leading road cycling mag, and would love to be kept up to date with what you guys are up to. Sounds very interesting! Is anything ready yet? Neil Pedoe

Dan

finally
Anywy I have the zephyr…but maybe I will switch to ANT+ from January ….
the only problem with zephyr is the app that does not look so great like the Iphone apps

Francois 2000

I have a Nokia: it works perfectly well with a Polar Bluethoot chest belt: more than 6 hours on a single charge, very nice app (Sport Tracker, free, of course), automatic GPS map and , gorgeous graphics (speed, heart rate, altitude, and so on) you can export on the Web site of Sport Tracker, etc.
Of course, a Nokia is not an iPhone : It only works better.;-)

Tom

The wohoo heart rate monitor for the iPhone is fine but why can’t the monitor transmit to my iPhone without the additional hardware plugged into the dock port?

SlappE

I believe it has to do with the limitations of the BT stack on the iphone.

Emily

How "highly sophisticated" can IRunXTreme be, if they misspell an essential word to fitness on their main page. CalEries?!?

I would take that screenshot off; it's the first thing the site visitor sees and it makes your page look bad.

Cyrus

I agree and disagree. I don\’t think misspellings necessary mean anything about quality of an app. Having said that, I do hope they take your suggestion into consideration.

John

Seriously? I think attention to detail speaks volumes about the quality of an app, and spelling has to be the easiest and most basic thing to be careful about.

Cyrus

I have tested many good applications developed by people who don’t speak English very well. I get what you are saying. I absolutely do. It’s not as black and white as that.

Having said that, this post needs an update badly, and that is coming. We will fix all these issues, whether they are our misspellings or apps that have issues.

Andrea

I use runtastic PRO and it is my favourite app! I love the great features, heart rate integration, voice feedback and many more

http://ljf@btsbm.com Louis

Want.

Bluetooth connectivity

Heart rate tracking

Music integration

Good graphics

I will use it mostly in the gym for cardio work and during spin classes as am improvement over looking at my F7 jn the dark.

Any suggestions?

Martin

While being a sports program, still heartrate monitoring is possible with http://www.endomondo.com . All you need is the bluetooth heart rate sensor.
Loads of people are using it worldwide